Tower Avenue reconstruction soon to be over

By
KBJR News 1

October 2, 2013Updated Oct 2, 2013 at 7:01 PM CDT

Superior, WI (NNCNOW.com) --- Reconstruction on the mile from Belknap to North 3rd street on Tower Avenue in Superior will be ending soon, and people are saying that the street looks like it's being restored to its former glory.

The project manager says that the construction will be over in late October, and businesses along Tower Avenue are excited for it to be finished.

Construction on Tower Avenue began in late April to make the roadway more safe and efficient.

No construction had been done on the road since 1935.

Businesses along the construction site say that the road closure has severely impacted their business, but that things are finally starting to pick up again.

"We had to close down earlier, by at least about two hours, some nights three, but now it's starting to pick up again. I think it's because all the construction is finally getting where everybody can start walking and seeing everything that's new out here, and it's starting to pick up now, and I'm really really happy about that," said Alice Saari, the general manager of Erbert and Gerbert's.

"Everything is going to be new, we have.. we started from the bottom. We have new utilities, all the way up through the pavement structure, and there's a lot of aesthetic treatments, planters, colored concrete," said Brendan Dirkes, the project manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

All of the underground utility work along the road is complete, along with the new concrete driving surface.

They still need to finish filling in the sidewalk, the new curb, gutter, and asphalt at 3rd street.

Then they'll begin putting in street lights and pavement markings, among a few other small touches.

The prime contractor for the project is Chippewa Concrete, a concrete service based out of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

The total project cost was over $13 million and came from a mix of funding from the city, the state, and some federal funds.